


When The Past Comes Back To Haunt You

by Emme2589



Series: Just Call And I'll Be There [2]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: American Sign Language, Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, Mild Language, Past Abandonment, Post-Henry Stickmin Series: Completing the Mission, Selectively Mute Henry Stickmin, Sleepy Cuddles, Special BROvert Ops Ending | SBO (Henry Stickmin), Teasing, Trust Issues, guys being dudes, i apologize in advance for my understanding of asl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:47:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27521011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: Charles meets some of Henry's old crime buddies, and they reveal that Henry may not be a good person after all. How does Charles get through this? Easy.Just talk to him.
Relationships: Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin
Series: Just Call And I'll Be There [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011435
Comments: 10
Kudos: 149





	When The Past Comes Back To Haunt You

Charles shivered in the holding cell, his green bomber jacket not nearly thick enough to keep the cold at bay. He recognized this place, too. He wasn't sure when the mission went wrong or how exactly, but he did know that he was outside the United States, which meant he was in danger from other governments, but he thought he had a handle on it. Now, though...he was in hot water to say the least.

It was simple, he thought. Just a retrieval of documents from a lesser-known clan of thieves. Henry had the documents in his hands when he realized he'd tripped an alarm. It was too late to call for help. By the time Charles realized something was wrong, Henry was already at the mercy of the clan, and his helicopter was being shot down. He had no choice but to surrender, though the choice was still a difficult one.

What a sucky way for a mission to fail.

"Hey."

Charles lifted his head. Another prisoner in the holding cell beside him was holding up a moldy blanket, riddled with holes, but Charles took it from him like it was a priceless artifact, wrapping it around himself and tugging it tight until his body heat began to catch up.

"Th-thank you."

"No worries, kiddo." the convict had a missing tooth, and a scar across one limp eyelid, like he'd lost the eye to an injury, "What're ya in here for, bud?"

"Oh, um..." Charles tried to think back, but the mission was foggy in his mind, "I...don't remember. I don't even know how I got here."

"Yikes. That's rough."

"Why? Why're _you_ here?"

"Me? Heh." the convict scratched at the rough stubble on his chin, "Aggravated assault and attempted robbery. Same as always. Almost shot a guy, too."

Another of the convicts coughed, his voice scratchy like he'd been smoking, "Ah, this is nostalgic, ain't it? 'f only Henry was 'ere. It'd be jus' like old times."

Charles found himself scooting away from the other three in the room.

Henry. The name alone was enough to send his heart running a mile a minute. It couldn't be the same Henry, right? Henry was a common enough name. Surely, these unkempt burglars who never washed or cut their hair weren't talking about _his_ Henry. The Henry he'd recently started dating after rescuing him from The Wall. The Henry that he called his boyfriend.

"Heheh. Yeah." the first guy cackled, "Henry Stickmin. What a riot, that guy."

Okay, Charles reasoned in his head, Stickmin wasn't too uncommon of a surname. It could be someone else.

"Ditched us for that diamond, 'e did." the third person said, their hair dyed a bright blue color, though the roots that grew back in were black as coal, "Not that we liked each other much, but still. What a bastard."

Charles felt a trickle of sweat on his back like he'd stepped into a cold shower.

He didn't like to admit it, but he was curious. He knew a lot about Henry's criminal history, but these vagrants were unfamiliar to him from Henry's stories. He knew it was none of his business, _buuut..._

"Henry Stickmin?" Charles tried to sound mildly intrigued, "The guy who stole the _Tunisian_ Diamond?"

"So you've 'eard of 'im, ey?" the burglar with the scratchy voice smiled eerily, showing off black rotten teeth, "'m not surprised. Yeah. We were never too close. 'e didn't like us much, but we don't care. 'e was a right bastard, 'e was."

"Only used ya until he had what he wanted."

"That 'e did."

"Wait, what?" Charles said before he could stop himself, "What are you talking about? I thought he earned his pardon later...?"

Of course he knew that. He was _there._

"Yeah. He helped take down the Toppat clan just for the pardon. I bet he bolted as soon as he had it." the first rolled his eyes, "Otherwise, he has another motive. He always does."

Charles didn't want to continue this conversation. He was too scared to. He had no idea Henry had such a bad reputation. 

Still...his morbid curiosity was overpowering...

"Didn't he have any friends? Romantic interests?"

"Ha! Whatta joke." the blue-haired burglar's head swayed like they were drunk, "'f Henry 'ad a girlfriend, 'e'd use 'er for 'is own fancy and drop 'er if it got too serious. I'll give up every gem in my collection if I say anything different."

"Oh yeah."

Charles began to feel slimy inside. He didn't think the vagrants were lying, but the thought of Henry being such a terrible person just didn't seem right. Henry was sweet. He was clever and mischievous, of course, but he was also compassionate and loyal, a good listener, incredibly patient, and had a good sense of humor. Did he have him all wrong? Had Henry... _lied_ to him?

_No, he wouldn't. This is Henry. You know him. You know Henry._

_Right...?_

Suddenly, a man in a guard uniform and thick sunglasses tossed something at Charles, which he just barely caught. The guard was gone in the next second, and another guard appeared to escort the four of them from the holding cell to their own separate cells. Charles was searched before he was thrown in, probably since him huddling with the moldy blanket made him look like he was hiding something, so in a panic, he hid the thing he'd been tossed in his mouth until he was alone in his cell.

Charles shivered as he spit the thing out. It was a tiny cell phone, only capable of receiving calls. He wiped it off on his jacket, still feeling violated from the rough search, when it began to silently ring. He didn't recognize the number.

Steeling his nerves, he answered, "H-hello?"

_"Are you alone?"_

The voice was Henry's. Charles gulped loudly, "Y-yeah, I'm alone. Why?"

The voice on the other end was silent. Charles tried to ignore the knot of dread in his stomach, but it built up high enough that it seized his ribcage. Even if Henry couldn't be trusted, Charles shouldn't know that, so he buried the dread under a sense of pragmatism. Get out first, then figure out how to confront Henry.

_"Good. Listen carefully, okay? In about thirty seconds, the power will go out. Once the red emergency lights come on, your door will unlock. Pull it up from the bottom. If the lock doesn't give, hit the sensor below the window. Once you're outside the building, you should see a white tank in the woods. I'll be waiting for you there. Got it?"_

Charles took a breath of air, "Got it. Thanks, Hen."

Henry hung up, and true to his word, the regular lights cut off, and the red lights outside turned on, just bright enough to see vague shapes in the darkness. The door opened easily, and Charles hurried out to the fire escape. He bolted for the tank as soon as he saw it, and the top of it opened up.

In the next moment, he was wrapped up in someone's arms, and kissed on his forehead.

"Charles! Quick, get in!" Henry pulled him in, "Okay! We're outta here, baby!"

Charles rubbed his face where Henry had kissed him with the inside of his wrist. The slimy feeling was back. Was Henry somehow hiding something from him?

Did he really know this man at all?

***

As soon as the door closed in their apartment on base, Henry pulled Charles into a kiss, which he warmly accepted despite his newfound hesitance.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Henry took his hands, "I was so worried! I thought those creeps had gotten to you!"

Charles tugged his hands out of Henry's grip, hugging himself and squeezing the sleeves of his jacket in both hands.

Henry's smile fell, "What's wrong?"

Charles bit his lip, forcing himself to swallow, though his throat was dry. It was now or never.

"Henry..." Charles began slowly, "Did you...know a group of thieves before you stole the diamond...?"

Henry's face turned green, his concerned frown morphing into a wide-eyed expression of pure terror.

Slowly, he cupped his ear, then gave a stiff shrug.

"Where'd I hear that?" Charles shuffled his feet, biting on a fingernail, "Um, well, there were these guys in the holding cell with me. They, uh...said they knew you."

Henry was trembling violently by now. He took a few steps back until his calves hit the couch, covering his mouth like he was trying not to vomit.

"They said you abandoned people as soon as you had what you wanted." Charles continued, "Said that you were selfish, that you'd use people for your own fancy before dropping them like hot potatoes."

Henry remained silent. He'd stopped breathing. Once he'd found a way to force his ribcage to expand, he lifted one hand and signed the individual letters, "WAS."

Charles approached him slowly, _"Was?_ You mean you _used_ to be like that?"

Henry nodded, his eyes misting over.

"Oh."

Henry shook his head, lifting his hands before letting them fall again. Charles wasn't quite fluent in sign yet, so Henry couldn't rely on it here. He was determined to find a way, though, and Charles could see that even as Henry's face twisted in frustration at being trapped in an attack with no way to communicate.

"Henry, just start signing." Charles smiled at him teasingly, "I'll let you know if there's a sign I don't recognize."

Henry visibly deflated, lifting his hands again with more vitriol as he allowed a small smile to grace his features. He pointed to himself (I), before he held his arm up in front of his chest, bringing two fingers to his elbow and curling them in towards his wrist (Steal). Then, he threw his arms up as if in exasperation (Much). He pointed to himself again, crossed his arms over his chest with his fists closed (love), then brought them up with his middle fingers lowered to the floor, his pointer fingers and pinkies raised (shine). He threw his arms up the same way he did before, held his pointer finger up and brought his other one up to point at it in emphasis (Point), then he brought his fists together and mimed breaking something in half (Break up).

"Okay, I think I get it..." Charles tapped his chin, grateful that Henry had signed slow and tried to keep it simple for him, "You used to steal a lot. You love shiny things, so you did anything to get them, even to the point of abandoning people."

"Yes!" Henry found his voice again, "Good job, Charles! I'm impressed!"

"Thanks!" Charles felt that familiar warmth blooming in his chest, but it was quickly replaced with the previous slimy dread.

"Um..." Henry crossed his arms, leaning against the couch, "Has your opinion of me changed?"

Charles looked up to meet Henry's eye. Henry had shrunken in on himself, his eyes wide like a kicked puppy.

It made him realize that Henry regretted what he did before his pardon. He knew it was possible that it was a trick...but somehow, he couldn't rationalize that in his head. If Henry really did have an ulterior motive, why would he stick with him for so long? And why would he do completely selfless things over and over again even knowing he wouldn't get anything in return?

Charles let himself laugh a little, realizing that he had nothing to worry about, "No, Henry. My opinion of you hasn't changed."

"Huh?" Henry was stuck in place as Charles approached, close enough now that he could look nowhere else but at his face, "Why not? I just admitted to you that I once used people just for my own gain, people I didn't even know, people who didn't wrong me in any way, and I screwed them over!"

"Would you do that to me?"

Henry's mouth fell open.

Charles tried again, "Would you screw me over for a chance at getting that diamond back?"

 _"No!"_ Henry exclaimed in horror, "I _wouldn't!_ You _know_ I wouldn't, you _have_ to believe me!"

"Then why does it matter?"

Henry dropped his gaze, his forehead landing on Charles' chest.

"You're clearly not the person you used to be." Charles let his cheek rest on Henry's head, his arms coming up to wrap around his waist, "It doesn't matter who you _were._ What matters is the person you are _right now."_

Henry's fists bunched up the fabric of Charles' shirt, _"B-but..."_

"Are you going to argue with that?" Charles lifted his head, eyeing his downtrodden expression, "If we're ever in a situation where it's easy to betray me, will you do it?"

Henry clenched his teeth as he shook his head. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Then there's nothing more to say." Charles let his forehead rest on Henry's, "Okay? Do you get it?"

Henry was quiet as his arms encircled Charles and he pulled him into another kiss. He broke away, leaning to the side to place a soft kiss to Charles' neck instead, which elicited a chuckle from him.

"You know I wouldn't betray you, right? Charles?" Henry murmured into his collarbone, "I wouldn't. That's not who I am anymore. I could never do that to you."

"Why'd you do it in the first place?" Charles nuzzled into him lovingly, "There must have been a reason, right? You don't do things just for the heck of it."

He felt Henry smile against his skin, "Well, that's debatable."

"You _are_ a crafty bastard sometimes." Charles conceded, "Here, d'you wanna get more comfortable? I can get some extra blankets and we can hang on the couch?"

Henry lifted his head, his previous despair replaced by a toothy grin. Henry began to rearrange the furniture in the small room while Charles searched the closets and cabinets for blankets. Most of them were actual military-grade, meant to ward off hypothermia in a survival situation, but he found a few classic quilts and soft fleece blankets to add to the pile too.

Once he rejoined Henry, he'd found that the man had pushed the couches together in the middle of the room. Charles offered the blankets, and Henry began to lay them one by one over the cushions, bunching them up in a circle to create a little nest. He eagerly dragged Charles into it, and they fell beside each other, their limbs tangled together, laughing with all the grace of a couple of fifth graders at their first slumber party.

Their legs hung outside the nest as Henry took Charles' hand, lacing their fingers together, and they both gazed at the ceiling. Since this was technically a borrowed room, they weren't allowed to renovate, but they could add things to the space so long as they were removable. Upon learning this from the General, Henry bought a few packs of glow-in-the-dark stars and arranged them on the ceiling in real constellation patterns. He even went as far as using the bigger stars to represent the brighter stars in the sky, as seen from Earth of course. They didn't know how many hours they've spent here, talking or just enjoying the other's presence, and Henry had talked at length about each star, its name, and all the constellations that connected to each other to the point where Charles now knew more about the sky than he ever had. He was astounded that the topic of stars and constellations could render the usually quiet and reserved Henry a massive chatterbox, and if Charles was being honest, he could listen to that voice forever, occasionally giving his hand a squeeze when he turned to him to make sure he was still listening.

The two of them kicked their shoes off, and settled into the silence of the dark room. Now, as Charles lay beside Henry, looking at the stars he'd so meticulously placed, he felt ashamed that he ever doubted his trustworthiness. He knew Henry inside and out. As an experienced army vet, he was good at spotting liars, and Henry was as raw and authentic with him as they come.

"We don't have to talk about it." he said finally, giving Henry's hand a squeeze, "I still trust you. Who you once were doesn't matter, and I stand by that."

Henry was quiet, but Charles could see his eyes tracing the patterns in the plastic star shapes above them.

"No. You deserve to know." Henry forced a breath into his lungs, though they rattled with built-up emotion, "I don't know why I couldn't talk about it sooner. I guess I just...wanted to forget. Like, meeting you was a new chapter in my life, and I could let the past stay there, but it's not fair for me to keep it from you. I trust you too, I just..."

His throat closed up, and he swallowed thickly, turning onto his side to huddle into Charles' shoulder.

_"I thought you would leave me if you knew..."_

Charles' heart swelled with guilt. He had too much history with Henry to doubt him like this. Though they'd only met about a year ago, when you go to hell and back with someone, you start to realize that having them there with you makes everything easier, if only by a little.

He was ashamed to admit it...but the thought of leaving Henry over this did cross his mind.

"Henry..." Charles gave Henry's shoulder a firm squeeze, "I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me that easy, you know. I said I'd be there for you, and this isn't enough to change my mind on that. If you're not ready to tell me, then that's okay. I don't need every detail of your past so long as I have you right now."

Henry glanced up at him through his eyelashes, "Promise?"

"Of course. I promise." Charles pulled Henry over himself so he was laying on his chest, "So, are you going to answer my question, or would you rather save it for another day?"

Henry buried his face in Charles' collar, "What was your question?"

"Why'd you betray people for selfish reasons?"

Henry relaxed against him, looping his leg around one of his, "Well...it's a long story. I had a lot of friends as a kid, but they all ended up ditching me once we hit our teenage years. I started pickpocketing and shoplifting, little things that no one would miss, because I was sick of going to school hungry every day. When my mom found out, she kicked me out of the house for being a thief. I became more reckless. I stole increasingly valuable things, bigger things. I had a big head about it. I got cocky, until..."

Charles filled in when Henry trailed off, "You were caught."

"It was so stupid. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I realized what I'd swiped; An engagement ring. I accidentally pickpocketed an _engagement ring_ off of someone! Yeah, no one's gonna miss _that,_ Henry, you _idiot!"_

"So, uh...what happened?"

"Well, the dude got his ring back, and I went to jail. I was like nineteen by then, I think, so while I was tried as an adult, I didn't get a full sentence. Once I was out, I waited for someone to come get me, heck, maybe even my dad, who hates my guts...but..."

Charles ran his hand up and down Henry's back, "No one ever did."

"No one." Henry shook with silent sobs, "I used the phone at the police station to call everyone I knew. Friends, family, teachers I had in school, old co-workers, literally dozens of people, hoping that one of them would at least give me a ride to the homeless shelter downtown, but... _nobody did. Not a single person came to my aid. I was all alone."_

Charles grabbed one of the fleece blankets and threw it over him, "Gosh, Hen. I'm so sorry."

Henry wormed his arms underneath Charles' back, giving his torso a squeeze as if to ground himself, with his cheek pressed into his chest.

"So, lemme guess...you became a better thief. You got more crafty. More creative. You figured you were on your own."

"Yes to all of that. I...I think I started betraying people because I was so sick of being betrayed, so I started doing it preemptively. I betrayed people before they had a chance to betray me. I used people to get the money I was after, because nobody ever did _me_ any favors, and I had this sick sense that the world owed me for making me suffer so much."

He rolled off of Charles onto his back on the couch cushions, huddling beneath the blanket that had managed to wind itself around him.

"So, if I may ask..." Charles lay shoulder-to-shoulder with him, nudging him with his forehead, "What changed your mind?"

Henry looked at him, the stars from outside the window reflecting in his eyes. He held eye contact until he lifted his arm, placing his hand on Charles' and running his thumb into his palm.

"You."

That word was enough to send Charles reeling, "Me? Wait, you're serious? Were you still using people when we met on the airship?"

"Yeah."

"But that doesn't make any sense! You trusted me! We had the best teamwork! How..."

Henry's smile was tired, but it had some mirth behind it, "Maybe if you listen up, I'll tell you."

"Okay! Okay, shutting up now!"

Henry laughed, leaning over to kiss him again, "You're so cute."

Charles found himself blushing, "Just explain yourself, you weirdo!"

"Alright, alright..." Henry lay back down, taking Charles' hand between them, "So...when we met on the airship, I didn't trust you at first. I had my motive, which was that pardon, and I assumed you didn't care whether I succeeded or died. But...overtime, as we got to talking...I found myself... _wanting_ to trust you, which was super bizarre. I couldn't explain why. You just had this...air about you. Like you cared. Like you were cheering me on."

"Because I _was."_

"Yeah, but I didn't know that at the time." Henry brought the blanket up to his chin with his free hand, "I think a part of me was tired of being alone. Your enthusiasm was contagious. I wanted to impress you, and I wanted to stop constantly looking over my shoulder. Sleeping with one eye open. So even though my instinct was to steal the Toppat's ruby and abandon you, I ignored it because I just wanted to live my life again, and I thought maybe you had the key to that."

Charles looked up towards the constellations on the ceiling, "Aw. I really made an impression on you, huh?"

"Yeah..." Henry turned towards him again, hugging his arm and holding the back of his hand to his chest, "I gotta be honest...I was really scared that you would abandon me too. I could handle my parents disowning me, my friends leaving me behind, but if _you_ ever decided I wasn't worth it anymore, I think it would destroy me. I would be crushed. I didn't want to admit it, and I didn't want to get too attached to you, but I was forced to face the truth when I was in the wall, receiving the punishment for my second escape attempt. I decided to call you, figuring that if you refused to come get me, I could move on without any regrets, even though I would be heartbroken."

"I would _never_ leave you to die, Henry." Charles' eyes lingered on his own hand, which Henry was still holding against his chest, _"Never._ Even if we weren't on good terms, I recognize that your criminal history is no longer relevant. We're looking into the complex, and they have a history of unfair and inhumane punishments. I couldn't let that happen to anyone, let alone someone like you."

He was distracted by the feeling of Henry holding his arm. He could feel his ribs through the fabric of his shirt, his heartbeat thumping firmly against his knuckles. He gently took his arm back to circle both arms around Henry, rubbing their noses together, which made him smile giddily.

"Of course, since you actually did come and get me...that meant I had to..." Henry mumbled, _"Tell you how I feel..."_

"Well...you didn't _haaave_ to..."

"Charles, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"I'd like to see you try, _convict!"_

Henry reached behind him for a pillow, hitting Charles over the head with it, and he laughed, grabbing for Henry as he threw the pillow back at him. He missed.

"Haha! Try and get me now, helicopter boy!"

Charles tackled him into the cushions, pinning him down with his whole body while Henry's vocal chords wheezed with his continued giggles, unrelenting and barely allowing him a chance to breathe. Once he'd finally caught his breath, Charles did the only thing he could think of and placed a gentle kiss to Henry's mouth, his lip brushing his teeth in their uncoordinated stupor. Just as Henry was returning the kiss, Charles suddenly changed his angle, kissing Henry's throat instead.

"Ah..." Henry's Adam's apple bobbed, "Charles, I love you. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do." Charles nipped at the skin under Henry's ear, making him shiver, "I love you too."

The two held each other close, lying on their sides as they faced each other. Henry kissed Charles' forehead before turning around so he was being spooned, and Charles' curled around him, his arms around his stomach and his lips pressing into the small of his back.

"I trust you, Charles." Henry pulled a blanket over top of them, "Thank you for not giving up on me."

"Hey, it's no trouble." Charles tangled their legs together, "I'm sorry for doubting you. Hey, let's go out somewhere tomorrow, maybe to the countryside to go stargazing. My treat."

"Really? I'd love that." Henry scooted further into the embrace, his back firmly against Charles' chest as he turned his head to give him access to his lips, _"Goodnight, Charles."_

They stayed like that, their hearts beating in sync as they cuddled in their nest of blankets until they were both fast asleep.

Charles was grateful for the warmth of his partner, especially after the cold of the holding cell, and he wondered as he drifted off just how he had gotten so damn lucky.

_"Goodnight, Henry."_

***

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise! There is more. I don't know what to say. Sometimes I start writing, and then I can't stop.
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr! marshemillow.tumblr.com


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